Fictional Worlds, by L.A. Alexander, Reviewed.

Subtitled, ‘Traditions in Narrative and the Age of Visual Culture’, this tome of nearly 400 pages of erudition is a considerable piece of work. The book is essentially about storytelling on the screen and is, in fact, part of a series under that title.

Academic, considered, analytical and full of wisdom, it is a book for those working in the film industry, for students of that medium, for critics and reviewers and, ultimately, for those who write screenplays. As a manual for study and an analytical tool for those involved in film, it is a wonderful book.

There are many illustrative case histories: unfortunately, I’ve seen vary few of the many popular films discussed, so this aspect was of less value to me. In any case, although I’ve dabbled in screenwriting and my fiction is visually based, I’m essentially a novelist. As such, I have different needs as a writer. That’s not to say that the book has nothing to offer me. The analysis of story elements and the explanation of story structure are valuable elements and I come away with a deeper understanding of the history and purpose behind story. Myth and legend form the basis of most of what we write today and the discussions of the various root tales are useful and inspiring.

My writing method is that of the pantster. I don’t plan or structure, except in the very loosest way possible. Generally, I start with a theme, develop a story beginning and ending, to which I add characters, and then allow these invented people to determine the route, the journey, of the novel. So, analysis and structural planning are of little help to me; in fact, they can be destructive of a process that relies hugely on instinct and the subconscious mingling of experience, knowledge and emotional elements. Sorry if that sounds pretentious, but it’s the nearest I can find to expressing what actually happens when I sit at the keyboard to create.

Planners and plotters, however, of which there are multitude in the writing world, will find this book invaluable. It guides and explains, suggests analogies, prompts with themes, and labels those elements of a story that such writers need to identify.

So, a book I’d definitely recommend to scholars, scriptwriters, film directors, those with an abiding interest in film, and to those writers who find their creative stimulation in plot.

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Useful Tips on Writing Good English (Especially for Students)

Testtakingstudent (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was doing some research for my daughter, who is at university, and, by pure chance, came across this website, which, although intended for university students, is open to the public. If you've ever had questions relating to correct English usage, this is a really useful tool, with easy to follow guides on a number of technical, grammatical and associated issues. Certain worth a visit.
http://www2.hull.ac.uk/student/studyadvice/studyskillsresources/studyguides.aspx

Good luck with your writing.

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Cutting Through the Academic Crap, by April Taylor, Reviewed.

Are you a university student, or the parent, best friend, trusted sibling or confidante of such a student? If so, I strongly advise you to read this little book. It took me 40 minutes, that’s all. So, it’s hardly an imposition, is it?

Written in a friendly, approachable style, it details the methods, pitfalls, techniques and crucial points in the process of writing that all-important dissertation. I learned a good deal I didn’t know about this specialist academic topic and was prompted to read the book because my daughter is currently attending university and will be required to produce a dissertation in her final year.

The book is presented in easily digested bites, each of which deals with a specific aspect of the whole. Breaking it down in this way makes a difficult subject more easily understood. The author has personal experience of the needs, having two degrees herself. She demonstrates empathy with the lot of the student and uses some vernacular with which the student should be familiar. But she provides her advice in an authoritative manner without that off-putting arrogance and superiority that defines so much academic writing.

Students who follow her advice and take account of the various pitfalls and distractions she highlights will stand a very good chance of not only completing the dissertation on time, but also of gaining maximum marks. Such a chance to increase the success of all that hard work and study that exemplifies the lot of the student must surely be worth the short time and attention that this essential little book deserves.

So, if you’re studying for that degree, or supporting someone involved in that demanding task, I unconditionally recommend the reading of this book: BEFORE you start.

BTW: this is an ebook, available on Smashwords , Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com  

An Interview With Author, Lyn Fuchs.

How would you introduce yourself to readers?

My name is Lyn, but I should be called Lyndiana Jones. I've survived enraged grizzlies, erupting volcanoes, Japanese sword fights and giant squid tentacles. I've been entrapped by FBI agents and held at gunpoint by renegade soldiers. I've sung with Bulgaria’s bluesmaster Vasko the Patch and met with Mexico’s Zapatista Army commander Marcos. I've been thrown out of forbidden temples in southern India and passed out in sweat lodges off the Alaskan coast. My navel has been inhabited by beetles and my genitals have been cursed by eunuchs. I've shared coffee with presidents, beer with pirates and goat guts with polygamists. I've contracted malaria, typhoid, salmonella and lovesickness around the world.

I've written about all these adventures in my new book, Sacred Ground & Holy Water: travel tales of enlightenment, released today, and I'm excited to share it.

How did you get started as an author?

My writing habit began when heavy snow sealed me for weeks into a log cabin, amidst the thick timber of Canada's craggy mountains. Life was forever changed. With nothing to do but observe minute details and reflect upon them, I spent silent solitary hours grasping for exact words to convey my experience to others, for when that connection would be restored. Meditations transformed into magazine articles. From eye to mind to pen, the journeys of my life were distilled into the stories that now make up my first book, to the very last one written on an isolated Mexican ranch under a fiery sunset and the influence of tequila. My spirit is within the pages too. If you aren't currently holed up at a snowy cabin or a sunny ranch but wish you were, I hope you'll let this work take you there.

What do you do when you´re not writing?

The phrase “philosophical adventure” describes both my writing and my life as an avid world-trekker with a master´s degree in philosophy. You can often find me in the Canadian rainforest or the Mexican desert. Right now, I´m wandering around doing some research for my second book: Fresh Wind & Strange Fire. Otherwise, I'm professor of communication at the University of Papaloapan in the jungle lowlands of Southern Mexico. I don't have a phone, but I do have an iguana. I enjoy hiking, coffee, meditation and getting feedback from readers. 

How would you describe your new book?

Sacred Ground & Holy Water: travel tales of enlightenment is a collection of seventeen stories filled with humor, tragedy, adventure, sexual innuendo and spiritual insight. These journeys originally appeared in Outdoor Canada, Monday Magazine, Canadian Ethnic Studies, The Dalhousie Review, Eclectica Literary Journal and many other publications. One publisher called this work “the guy-friendly Eat, Pray, Love.” (Would that be Drink, Pray, Spank?) A New York Times bestselling author wrote, "No one since Hunter S. Thompson has loved the wild and woolly world with as much intensity, insight, passion and gusto as Lyn Fuchs in his new collection of travel writing. From Africa, Central America, India, the Pacific Northwest, and back again, Lyn's rambunctious dispatches from the far corners of our strange globe arrive with the full force of whitewater plunging from mountains, lava burning the very soles from our hiking boots. So delicious are the bountiful meals he eats, so beautiful the foreign lasses he dallies with, nothing is left for the reader but a searing jealousy, an aching desire to be out there ourselves.” (No, that wasn't my mom.) I've posted more reviewer descriptions on my blog at lynfuchs.blogspot.com, but ultimately readers will decide the work´s value.

What makes the book a unique experience for those readers?

I think there's a surprising reason why people are so jazzed when reading Sacred Ground & Holy Water. That would be editor AND SINGER Catherine Treadgold. Have you ever read a work in which the engaging stuff was front-loaded for bookstore browsers, while the remaining pages were a bit of a snooze or even a lunch bag letdown? Who hasn´t? Fortunately, Cat´s experience thrilling audiences long after the tickets are sold has given this book a stunning wax and polish. She suggested ordering the stories with readers, not just sales, in mind. So, the text has a musical performance rhythm and flow. Fast-moving easy-access pieces come first. Mind-blowing heart-moving pieces (interspersed with funny/sexy interludes) come next. Then "gonzo razzle-dazzle verbal fireworks" (in the words of one reviewer) wrap up the show. Some readers may wonder "Who let the dogs out?" in response to my humor, but we can all thank Coffeetown Press for letting the Cat out of the standard editor´s bag. Let´s hope there are enough cats on Broadway that she won´t quit her day job. 

Where can readers get a copy of the book?

Sacred Ground & Holy Water is available in Kindle and print editions on Amazon.com. Hardcover and paperback editions are available through Baker and Taylor or the Ingram catalog. Plus, books can be ordered thru coffeetownpress.com and other ebook versions will be sold on Smashwords.